--------------------------------------------------------------------------- r==+- | Rational Alternative Digital Cyberzine * -\ | (c) 1995 Jeff Jolley * * | } ** | Volume 2, Issued E 1""G?p | a () | >< [] / | Editor-in-chief:. . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeff Jolley 0 --/ | T | Senior Managing editor: . . . . . . . . . . .Su Chon ^^#|-= | 7 oo | Staff Writers:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Squid oo | 55$fz.k | Monkey ,> / | : ==* | Dr. Buzzard ||___~~ * | + | James Bush T | | | Dave Robbins jlj r | => =R | Jim Jolley }} t | * /0 | Trixie Delight 2@wQb/ \ | | Art Director: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ike --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rational Alternative Digital Cyberzine is not to be confused Review and Discussion of Rock and Roll Culture (R.A.D!), published by CONSPIRACY M.E.D.I.A. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- RAD Cyberzine, RAD Interactive and their contents are copyrighted material. They cannot be reproduced or used without the permission of Rational Alternative Digital, P.O.Box 171144, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84117. The information in RAD Cyberzine and RAD Interactive are available free of charge via the internet. Email:rad@intele.net WWW:http://intele.net/~rad --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents -------------------------------- Flaming Lips (Warners) Archers of Loaf (Alias) Catherine (TVT) Crazy 8's (Red Rum) Pantara (EastWest/Elektra) Jonathan Richman Lords of Acid Hootie and the Blowfish Knapsack (Alias) The Wolfgang Press (4AD/Warners) Stop the Presses! =================================================================== == The Flaming Lips == by Squid ====================== It was a festive evening with these Oklahoma boys and their guests. The Flaming Lips may have come from down Oklahoma City way, but the show that night gave the audience a gaudy-but-delightful glimpse of another world. The entire stage and walls were strewn with tiny Christmas lights, and about eight randomly placed spirals of polychrome lights that spun around. And then a bubble machine! (If there were a trailer park on Mars, the Flaming Lips would be psychedelia kings!) The Lips emitted cosmic hill-billy noise from their guitars and the crowd just could not stop moving. Between songs, singer Wayne got down-home and personal, sharing thoughts and stories. We talked to Wayne backstage after the show, as he shared a bottle of Jack Daniels with one of the guitarists from Archers of Loaf. (This bottle apparently had a high value, having been left over from the night before, since the club forgot to provide a new bottle.) He was gracious to chat with us between being mobbed by other fans. RAD: That was an incredible show. How did you come up with the idea for the Christmas lights? Wayne: You know, when you get older, and you put them up at Christmas time, and you get lazy, and end up leaving them until the 4th of July. Then it's almost Christmas time again, so you don't take them down. RAD: I heard a rumor that the "King," Elvis Presley, played with you on a couple of the tracks on "In A Priest-Driven Ambulance." W: You really heard that?!?!?! RAD: Yeah, but I kind of don't believe that Elvis is still alive. W: No, no, we hate him. (pause) What would he play? He doesn't play anything. RAD: Maybe he would just swing his hips. W: He could just get high on drugs and look cool, I dunno. I never liked him anyway, no, no. Why would Elvis be associated with us? RAD: I don't know; that's what I didn't understand. But who would you like to have associated with you? W: Santa Claus, Andy Warhol, Jesus... all those nice guys... like those people (motioning to the others backstage), my brothers, and my mom, my friends, my family, all of those people... you guys... they don't have to be famous people. A lot of famous people are pricks. It's tough to be nice. Once you get to be an adult and stuff, it's not always easy to be nice. There aren't a lot of people out there who do that a lot. I'd rather be a good person than try and be a famous person. You have to be patient, work with people. RAD: Why do you smoke Marlboro Reds? W: Well, you know, I used to smoke Marlboro Reds, then I decided to cut back, you know, like some Marlboro Lights or something. And then I quit for a little while. It's hard to quit. I got sick for about a month. And you know when you're sick, you don't really want to smoke. So after I wasn't smoking for a month, I was like, Wow, I don't need to smoke now. And then, little by little... when you drink, you smoke... And then we always ask for cigarettes. We used to ask for a couple different brands, but they would always screw it up, so we like just got the Marlboro, that's all, no Lights. At this moment, the Archers guitarist who had been hoarding the Jack Daniels grabbed the tape recorder to say in a menacing Beavis voice: "Hi, I'm Wayne. We hate all our fans. Fuck you!" We then all discussed the connection between bad band names and good bands, and good band names and bands that suck -- a topic that sprang from asking how the Archers of Loaf got their name (which has to do with mountain climbing and the disposal of fecal matter) and the fact that the Flaming Lips just had to think of something at the last minute. As more fans flocked to Wayne, our official interview fizzled off rather unceremoniously. But the stories didn't end there. One boy, after securing the coveted bottle of Jack Daniels, inquired about the Lips' stint on "Beverly Hills 90210." Wayne explained that it was a studio set up where they would have a line of people next to the band, acting like they really grooved on the music, but then after the shot was over, the feigned enthusiasm was gone. Although the styrofoam set-up of "90201" was to be expected, Wayne was sure that the Lips had won over some new yuppie fans. The Flaming Lips won over the writers of RAD, as well. They are a band that really knows how to Turn It On! =================================================================== == Archers of Loaf == By James Bush ===================== We are back stage with Archers of Loaf. About one month earlier we were talking with them--they had a van that they have been using as long as the band has been around--and they did a show in Seattle and when they were leaving their great van decided it liked Seattle and decided it wanted to stay there. So in the process the band went on a venture to find a new one and ended up renting a Ryder van instead and so begins the story of Ryder van company and their evil policies that go along with that.... RAD: Explain to me what happened out there with the van? Archers:I guess what happened is some of their less scrupulous clients had a habit of messing up the vans before. RAD: So they towed the van? Archers:They towed it because some the other Ryder trucks had incurred over $500.00 of outstanding unpaid parking tickets, or whatever, and New York's policy is they tow all those vehicles from that company now that's their technical policy they can do it just by taking the easy pickings from anybody and they're squeal and get it taken care of and we ended up missing a show because of it and further more we are not happy with that company. RAD: It's just amazing that they would do that. Archers:Well, they fucked us out of a lot of money, it was close to a thousand dollars just right of the bat not to mention I did not want to stay up all night, stay in New York an extra day it was absolutely crazy. If I see anybody from Ryder I am going to throw something at them. It also was broken into just prior to it being towed they didn't break into the back section they just got into the cab and they got a nice pocket knife that Mark had, which kind of sucks because it was given to him by his uncle, other than that they took a few cassette tapes and some basketball cards. RAD: Well at least they didn't break into the back. Archers:We saw the pool of glass and we thought everything had just been absconded I was imagining things like someone hotwiring it and driving away to some remote place and just taking everything. When we found out it was gone we were about ready to report it stolen when I finally found out it was towed. I mean we called all these towing places and they were telling no they had no record of it. I am not a big fan of New York City, anyway I mean having that many people together is just asking for trouble. Although that night some good things happened we got to meet and hang out with Ric Ocasek and Paulina Porizkova, and they were cool as shit they were really nice human beings, they were like super nice and intelligent and fun, they hung out in our dressing room more than Weezer did, they went because Ric Ocasek produced Weezer's album. RAD: So did any one of you ever attend the University of North Carolina? Archers:Yea we did. We all went there. Matt there graduated and I'm two credit hours from graduating. RAD: What were you taking? Archers:History--I am going to finish it sometime, whenever I get some time off. RAD: Now who was in the band Small 23? Archers:Matt played with them when they were Small before they were Small 23. The 23 part was just because there was another band called Small and the other band kind of threatened them with a lawsuit. Matt Walters, the bass player for Small, said, "We will meet you in the center of the country and we'll thumb wrestle for it." He said that they were not amused at all, so Small ended up changing their name to Small 23 for awhile, then the other Small broke up. RAD: Before Alias records signed you what other labels wanted you? Archers:There were two labels that wanted us, like Sonic Bubblegum and Tortis Head. You must have read the bio on us, that thing is so full of bullshit. Some of it we kind of put in there on purpose. The next one we have we decided to put a lot bullshit in it. Have you ever seen Madonna's first bio? It's a riot! They are just talking about world domination like how they are going to be the most popular band. This was back before she even put out a single. RAD: Did you do something with John Peele? Archers:We did two sessions with John Peele. We got to meet him at the Redding festival. He's cool as hell--he's a great guy, he's really sharp and just really friendly. RAD: Have you put out any Peel Session EPs? Archers:No--we did two sessions with him. We have enough material to put a ten inch EP out. Both sessions have four songs each on them. We were really happy when he asked us to be on his show. RAD: So do you plan on heading back to England anytime soon? Archers:It's looks like around the middle of June. RAD: So how long has "Vee Vee" been out? Archers:Vee Vee been out since march 7th, and kind of like the Pearl Jam record "Vitalogy," the night it went on sale, out in front of every record store in America there was a line close to two inches long. RAD: How did "Ichey Mettle" sell? Archers:"Ichey Mettle" sold pretty well, it sold more than we expected. RAD: How about "Vee Vee?" Archers:"Vee Vee" has actually blown our minds--it's outsold "Ichey Mettle" already. RAD: Well, you are about ready to go on stage. Have fun out there. Yes, that was Archers of Loaf. The club they played in that night had a real bad leakage problem. I must have counted at least twenty leaks out on the floor and at least five on the stage leaking on the band. No, they did not get electrocuted, but it was funny to see the bands playing and water dripping on their guitars. Look for more of the Archers of Loaf interview at RAD Interactive. =================================================================== == Catherine == by James Bush =============== This is a band that has emerged from Chicago, Illinois. They have toured with Hole, Dig, and A Letter To Cleo. RAD: With your latest album, I heard a rumor that Billy Corgan, had co- produced your album was that true? Cath: He had nothing to do with this album, he produced out first one, we produced this one, he just helped out on the EP. RAD: Where are you originally from. I heard you were originally from Chicago. CATH: Well, Keith lives there now, but he is originally from southern California. He just joined the band about seven months ago. Their old bass player left and my brother called me up and asked me join. RAD: It looks like you have a long drive. CATH: We have three days off and we are going to travel 1,500 miles but we are getting used to it. We have been getting so many far away dates from one another that you just kind get used to it. It's really weird. When we first started it was hard, but this tour bus we have helps a lot. We had a really shitty bus before we got this, and this really makes all the difference in the world. We originally had an airport shuttle bus and redesigned the interior, but it was never really designed to go over forty five mph. We ended up putting 45,000 miles on it. It served it's purpose well. RAD: How has the tour been so far has it been getting to you at all? CATH: This has been a really energizing kind of thing for us. It has been very hostile and a lot of fun. RAD: There was a stainless steel guitar on stage tonight. It was great-- whose is that? CATH: I can't even start to tell you the story about that guitar it is just too hideous (right then the wind just almost blew their bus over). Man that's just amazing is it always this way out here? RAD: Not really it is not as windy as this. CATH: Where we are from in Chicago it gets about this windy. RAD: With all the fans you have out there is there anything you like to say them? CATH: What I would say is really concentrate on what you really want to do with your life and don't compromise at all no matter how much of a struggle it is. Just go for it--that's what life's all about. You don't really know what you can do unless you try. I also want to thank everyone for giving us a chance, and for supporting us. RAD: How is your label treating you? CATH: Yeah, they treat us really well they pretty much let us do what we want also--don't use Saccharine, eat well, floss and just stay healthy. And at that point they jumped off the bus and went on stage with and just had fun. See them if they come into your town, they put on a great show. =================================================================== == Crazy 8's == By James Bush =============== If you ever think of bands from the eighties that you remember hearing on the radio and that bring back memories everytime you hear one of their songs, the Crazy 8's is one of those bands. They are also one of those bands I said I would see sometime, but never got around to it. Well if you haven't done it, then it's too late. They are forever broken up. I, on the other hand, was fortunate enough to actually see them finally. It ended up being their last show. They chose Salt Lake City for their last show because, in their own words, this city has been one of the few cities that have actually supported them throughout their career. The Crazy 8's will always be remembered for songs like "Touchy Situation" and of course, the song that made them known throughout this world, "Johnny Q." RAD: Why did you choose Salt Lake to be the last show for the Crazy 8's? C 8's: Because Salt Lake has been one of our greatest stops. Everyone here has always supported us, we have always done really well here. RAD: I have noticed that you visit here a lot. How long has the band been around? C 8's: We have been around for thirteen years. RAD: I have noticed in the past, that you always seem to have a lot of people in the band. Usually how many people do you have in it? C 8's: Well, we have had as many as eleven, but we are now down to seven. So we're lean and mean now. RAD: Why, after all these years, have you decided to break up the band? C 8's: Well, we have been working real hard and long at it and we have never ever got a good record deal, so we're going to go explore some other music. RAD: You are on Red Rum Records out of Oregon. One of the songs you do that I like the most is the song "Touchy Situation," a song you do not ever seem to hear anymore. C 8's: Fortunately it was on the CMJ charts for a while, but all good things must pass. We're looking forward to the future. RAD: So what are the members of the band setting off to do after all this? C 8's: Well, a couple of them are going to join other bands. Todd's going to get married and the guys will do their regular jobs, like teaching and so forth and so on. RAD: I know that the biggest song you had was "Johnny Q." That's the song I think that gets played more than anything else you have done. What inspired that song to be written? C 8's: Todd will tell you all about that. RAD: I was talking to Sam about your song "Johnny Q." Who wrote that song? C 8's: Our trombonist Tim Tubb. RAD: Where did he get the idea for that? C 8's: I don't know. We were going to school back then, and we were really politically active back then. We still are. All of our albums have that kind of tone to it, like activision and trying to get people motivated. RAD: Considering this is going to be your last show, is there anything you would like to say to the people that have supported you all these years? C 8's: I would let them know I appreciate all the support. We have had great luck all over the country thanks to all the college stations and commercial free community stations that played our records, and all the people who gave us gigs, all the people that came and saw us play and helped us do this for so long. It's been great. RAD: Where does this band originate from? C 8's: Yeah, we met at a college town in Oregon called Corvallis and just sort of played some gatherings and some dances, and just kind of broke into some clubs. And then went up and down I-5 and branched out from there. Our first record with "Johnny Q" really hit on the college alternative stations and I can say that it is definitely our most popular song. RAD: Has the band in general done alright money-wise, or has it been on the lower budget side? C 8's: We're definitely on the lower income bracket. RAD: So obviously everyone in the band has other jobs besides this right? C 8's: You're right. Like me, I work for Union Base sportswear in the advertising department. I just got that job and I'm getting married next month. I have been living in seattle for the last year, mainly just to move on and I think that it's good that we're stopping now because the band is playing well, we still like each other, and we're still getting a good response. We have done quite a lot and i'm proud of what we've done. We want to thank anybody that has ever helped us. We appreciate it. RAD: Well we appreciate bands like you that give us great music take care. That was it the band is gone forever it was great to see one of their shows before it all ended, by the way for all of that did not have the chance to see the show they recorded the whole thing and rumor has it that they might be releasing that for their farewell album. Lets just leave this with something Todd said to me "the past has been fun but we have to let it go and look forward to the future", on that note bye! =================================================================== == Pantara with Type O Negative == by Jim Jolley ================================== The show started with a heavy and slow Type O Negative. Some of the crowd was into it. I, however, was not. When they dedicated a song to Saint Lucifer's Church, it was over for me. I didn't like their satanic approach to music. When they finished, the crowd hit the floor. When the lights went down, they went into a frenzy. Pantara opened with "Cowboys from Hell" and the pit went wild. About 15 minutes into the show, the band stopped for a joint and played their Black Sabbath cover. They played a lot of songs from their new album "Far Beyond Drivin" and some of their other albums. They ended the show with the song "Domination." It was awesome. I loved every minute of the concert and I think you would too. See you there! =================================================================== == Jonathan Richman w/ The Rattle Kings == by David Robbins ========================================== The legendary Jonathan Richman rolled through town to play for a small group of loyal fans at a horrendously unadvertised gig on the 14th. Supporting him were the Rattle Kings who are a rather impressive country rockabilly band, except they don't have much to do with what Jonathan Richman does. Since 1968 (no lie) before the Milkmen died, before They might have been Giants, before the Ladies got Barenaked , Jonathan Richman (at times with the Modern Lovers) has been writing and performing songs to make people laugh. They have titles like "Abominable Snowman in the Market," "Dodge Veg-a-Matic," "Ice Cream Man," and "Here Come the Martian Martians." His lyrics are even better. Check out "Vampire Girl" about females in black with white make up: "Does she cook beans, does she cook rice, does she perform ritual sacrifice? Is she in heaven, is she in hell, is she a sex industry professional?" His years of performing show through. Between verses of the first few songs in his set he tells the sound guy exactly what knobs to turn to get exactly what he wants. His guitar playing at this point is flawless. With no backup except for his drummer, Jonathan and his material can stand on their own. When asked what's kept him going for all these years, he says, "Fun. As soon as it stops being fun I'll hang it up." There seems to be little chance of that happening though, because he really enjoys himself on stage. Every song has a guitar solo with his classic heavy metal posturing and hip wiggling. He's very personable and talks to the audience a lot during his set. After the show at the Zephyr he sat down at a table next to the stage to sign autographs, shake some hands, and talk to fans. Jonathan Richman is the ultimate Non Rock Star. I think he's my idol. You can get some of his great music by calling Round Records at 1 800 44 DISCS or by writing to Les Gripkey, P.O. Box 8024, Santa Cruz, CA 95061. =================================================================== == The Lords of Acid == by Su Chon ======================= You are commanded to worship at the feet of the Lords of Acid. For the first time in many years, the Lords are finally touring and doing live shows. RAD got the opportunity to talk with the Shai de la Luna and Lady Galore. Unfortunately, the tape was mysteriously erased, and we are not sure how - a probable storyline for the next X Files. But I'll do my best to sum up the highlights of talking to both of them. Shai is the keyboardist and male vocalist for the group. He's Belgian as is the rest of the group except for Lady Galore (she's British). He says that every venue they've played in the US has enthusiastically welcomed them with open arms. He's amazed by the response at all of their shows. We asked him why they haven't played live before and he said that the original Lords band were more studio musicians and they hated to tour. Then the new set of musicians came in about '91 and they perform live as well as record. Their latest release, VOODO-U, addresses topics like sex and drugs. Shai feels that doing drugs is okay as long as you do it in moderation and not like their song, "Blowing up your Mind," depicts. Lady Galore walked into the room, and she spoke easily to us. She is incredibly funny and warm. She got her name because at one time she was in a really bad British band called Pussy Galore (not the famous one) and they all dressed like Bond Girls. She said it was quite the lark. We asked her what her turn-ons are: a romantic man (especially if he dresses in a tux), a bag of crips, and a tramp (meaning trampoline). In her free time, she likes to jump on a tramp to the music of the Prodigy. She has also been amazed by the reception they have received in the States. But she is disappointed that no men have thrown their underwear on stage. She prefers Calvins, so if you would like her to bestow a favored glance upon you, then get yours on stage!!! When asked about the album, she says that they deal with subjects that most people find offensive, like sex and drugs. She even had some minister dude call her and ask her why she likes to sing such offensive material, and she easily put him in his place. Shai and Lady Galore were very accommodating in talking to us, and I only wish that you could have heard every minute. But the LORDS may be coming to a town near you. They mentioned that they might tour the States again in the summer. If they come, GO!!!!! Their show is outrageous, entertaining, and wild. People have fun while worshipping with the LORDS. The Lords are touring with My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult later this summer-ed. =================================================================== == Hootie and the Blowfish "Cracked Rear View" == by Trixie Delight ================================================= As one of the closet members of the population who are still afraid to admit their confusion over the term "alternative," I am amply qualified to write about Hootie and the Blowfish. Their sound may initially seem vaguely familiar and deceptively commercial, but as an experienced listener of their music I have found their roots are as enigmatic as their alternative classification. With the combined sounds of Memphis blues and Seattle grunge, Cracked Rear View conveys a sentimentality reminiscent of the folk singers of the sixties. With tracks ranging from "Hold My Hand" to "Not Even the Trees," the album is devoted to dissecting human relations. Issues of love and loneliness are interspersed with those of racism and death. The result is a map of the writers' lives that is reflective of the universal path we all take. Added to this hodgepodge of style and lyrics are the orgasmic vocals of Darius Rucker. He is the eye of the musical storm that is Hootie and the Blowfish. Even while he and the band are raging against the nation in my own personal favorite, "Drowning," his vocals massage the listener and bring her a little closer to paradise. In short, I worship at his musical throne. My only complaint is there are no clear pictures of him on the album cover (or of any of the members of the band). It will come as no surprise to the reader that I loved this album. So, to those of you who hated it and this review, I have some words of advice given to me by the late Lee Marvin in the polygamist musical Paint Your Wagon - "who gives a damn?" I have Darius to keep me company. =================================================================== == Knapsack "Silver Sweepstakes" == by Jeff Jolley =================================== If you've become a little bored with SoCal punk or Seattle Grunge, take the middle road and enjoy the refreshing sound of "NoCal Angst." Knapsack's first fill-length release on Alias Records is energetic music with some powerful lyrics. Singer/songwriter Blair Shehan, who is as mild-mannered as they come, and his U.C. Davis friends unleash on "Silver Sweepstakes" with the tunes Cellophane and Trainwrecker, and don't let go at all. Knapsack leaves you yearning for more. Unfortunately, they won't be going back into the studio for some time- probably not until this winter. Fortunately, they are touring the U.S. right now. This is a show you really should not miss, plus you can pick up their latest album at the show, as well as talk to them a bit. Here's where they'll be: TOURING WITH ARCHERS OF LOAF: May 25, Abyss, Houston, TX May 27, Howlin' Wolf, New Orleans, LA TOURING WITH LOCAL BANDS: May 30, CD Lux, Johnson City, TN June 1, Rex's, West Chester, PA June 4, Mercury Lounge, New York, NY (w/ Squirrel Nut Zippers and Magnetic Fields) June 5, Sudsy's, Cincinatti, OH Look for an interview with Knapsack in the next issue of RAD Cyberzine. =================================================================== == The Wolfgang Press == by Squid ======================== RAD met with Michael Allen and Andrew Gray, of The Wolfgang Press, during their "Funky Little Demons" tour. RAD: I read a bio that 4AD gave us about "Funky Little Demons," so I probably won't ask as much about that. You look like you want to say something, Michael. Michael: I was wondering what the bio was; sometimes they're a bit obscure, by the biographers we've had. But I think that one was fairly understandable. RAD: It seemed like they had several quotes from you about how, on "FLD" you're doing something new and old at the same time, technically; going back to your roots. Remember saying that? M: Oh, right. I remember, yeah. Certainly. We've been mixing it, which we have been, for a while, really, just messing the state-of-the-art technology with stuff like guitars, and keyboards and sort of going back to, as Andrew puts it, "organic" sort of sounds, more natural feel, you know, as opposed to like on "Queer," it was a little bit more electronic, and this is more natural sounding, softer in some ways. RAD: I have a friend who is convinced that Andrew is the one that on "Queer" is saying, "In Venezuela they have lots of cocaine," like in the song "Louis XIV." I guess there's a picture of you on front of the CD, all hunched over -- (laughter) Andrew:Uh, it was a friend of ours, Gary, from Renegade Soundwave. It's his little bit there. RAD: One question we're always interested in is, well, personally, what are your favorite canned foods? M: Favorite canned foods? Baked beans. A: Tuna. M: (musing) Tuna... Canned foods... I mean, does fruit come into it at all? RAD: Oh, yeah, anything that can come in a can. M: Well, custard and oranges, then. RAD: That comes mixed together in a can? M: No, it doesn't , but I mix it. RAD: So, how many times have you toured in the U.S. now? M: (to Andrew) What would you say this is, the fourth time? A: Fourth time for us. RAD: Did you tour here first with maybe your second album? Third? A: It was... I think "Birdwood Cage" was the first time we came over. Cause that was when we was being distributed by Rough Trade. And then we came over with "Queer," didn't we? But didn't we come over between then? M: We did, we did... No, Nick Cave was "Birdwood Cage" and, um, the one before that must have been "Standing Up Straight." A: I'm not sure; I'm a bit confused about that one. But this is definitely the fourth time. RAD: Do you still play some of your older tracks? Or do you steer away from that? A: The oldest track that we do, I think, is "Kansas," probably, isn't it? M: Yeah, Kansas . RAD: A friend of mine told me to beg you guys to do "Cut the Tree." A: We were thinking about doing it. M: We were. We wanted to do that. A: But it's cause we've got like a whole live band now, it takes time to get the tracks and convert them, because there used to be a DAT -- just a DAT with bass and drums, and a few other things. It was just the three of us, but that's all changed now. We're trying to do it mostly live. RAD: Why the change? Just to do something different? A: Uh, yeah, actually, and on the Nick Cave tour, I think, seeing... M: We realize... A: Yeah, seeing his group and the way they interacted, and just having a live drummer and stuff, we just said, yeah, I think this is the thing to do next. So, it does, it works a lot better, just having the physical... seeing, like, real drums. M: People seeing, you know, people playing the instruments; it has been so much nicer than having things on tape. And it's very restrictive having things on tape. RAD: In the bio, it also talked about how the thing that changed your career around was that De La Soul album. A: (pause) I thought it wasn't bad; I mean, everybody puts too much importance -- M: Yeah, exactly. It was something that certainly affected me. It's not the music, it wasn't the music, although, as I've always said, I think it's an amazing album. It was just how they went about making the album. I like the way they seemed to approach the making of it. It just seemed like, real free and easy, and sort of like, they've just got their friends in, and just, almost like it just happened. You know, there wasn't any effort. And everybody's just enjoying themselves -- they could have been at home having a party -- it seemed like that, you know, that kind of an album. That's what I really liked about it. RAD: What do you find yourself listening to nowadays? Or do you listen to much? M: I really don't listen to much, I must say. I know Andrew probably does. But I -- the only thing recently that I've listened to is Portishead, Massive Attack, and, uh... not really a great deal. A: Luna. I liked the "Bewitched" album. I've heard a couple of new tracks they've been doing, some covers, "Bonnie and Clyde," which is Serge Gainsbourg. It's really good. They're really good. RAD: How do you get ideas for what you want to do musically? Do you have any technique? A: Not really, not any technique of any type, I mean it's... RAD: Do you separate, do you get together on the songs? A: Well, sometimes we do, yeah. Sometimes we do it individually. M: Yeah, this last album was a breakaway from how we've done it in the past. We've always, in the past, sat around together and, you know, just made some noise, made something out of that noise, structured it together. Um, but with this one, we did sort of like work separately. A: About half and half for this album. RAD: Do you have a preference as to how to work? A: Not really. M: Whichever way, whichever mode sort of gets it going, you know, whichever way helps it along; it doesn't matter. As long as, you know, everyone's in agreement with what is going on. And obviously that has to be the case, that the other people are happy, I guess, with what you come up with. RAD: When you were saying how, about the way that De La Soul worked on that album and made it more of a fun kind of thing, what was it like when you were making your earlier albums? M: It was like, on the first few albums, I think -- certainly "Burden of Mules" -- although it doesn't sound it, I mean, I really enjoyed it -- making the album -- because it was sort of just experimenting and messing around in the studio, subjects which interest you. Or which make sense to you; or you're comfortable writing about some things. Our themes will always, I think, be what they are. An opinion, really, that may surprise you. Or maybe from a different perspective, where you get to where you get different ideas about certain things. RAD: It seems like you have a lot of lyrics about morality, or sin, or.. I don't know, maybe I'm just thinking of certain songs. M: Yeah, I mean, it's all in there. It's about life and how you're coping with it, and you want to sort of like be... uh, doing the right thing. It's about trying to do what you're doing and remain true and honest, with yourself and other people. It's what we're doing. A: The music, it's... We're using different technology each time and working with a different producer, and that helps, as well, so it changes all the time. That's how we like it, really, and we don't like to stick to, or try to stick to, one form or another, so we change it. RAD: I don't think the fans would like you to do that, either. A: No, no. It's just a natural thing to do, to me, to change each time. M: Yeah. RAD: There are some people who say, Yeah, well I just like the old Wolfgang Press; they're too mainstream now, or... A: Well, that's it, I mean, if you do change, then you've got to accept that. M: Yeah, well, you're always gonna run into people who are always gonna say, Well, they were much better then, you know... You're gonna lose, and you're gonna win in other areas. What's important is that we feel that we're doing something worthwhile and fresh, for us. It doesn't matter to me whether it's mainstream or not. I don't care if we make a pop record; it's whether it's a good pop record. That's what's important, that it's good -- from where I stand. I don't care what kind of music, you know, I listen to or make. RAD: You don't care what kind you listen to or make? As long as you enjoy doing it? M: Well, no, as long as it's good, and it all sort of makes sense to me. I mean, if there's a song which someone considers to be a pop song, and they don't like it because it's a pop song, I find that INCREDIBLY snotty. I mean, there's good pop songs out there. Just because it's been number ten in the charts, you can't like it... Isn't that a ridiculous of an attitude? RAD: How was it working with Tom Jones when he did your song ("A Girl Like You")? Did you have fun? Did you like the guy? A: Yeah, I liked him a lot, actually. M: Yes -- RAD: Do you think he's a good dresser? M & A: (laughter) A: I actually like when he's dressed more casual, like when he came to the studio. M: No, I liked him when he had his suits, sort of like this Italiano, or something... Mafioso. He's got this like big black tie and black shirt. He looked good, I thought. He's a good man, he's a good man, you know. He knows what he is, and he's comfortable... No ego, that I could detect. RAD: Did you expect him to have an ego? M: I expected him to be... something, or, you know, sort of... RAD: A star? M: He's a star, there's no question about it. But he was just really sort of cool, you know. A: Very relaxed. But, um, we were quiet once we were working on the track, you know, it's the first time we actually wrote for someone else.especially the one that we actually wrote for him to do. It was actually a good experience. Cause we weren't thinking about us, the group, writing a bit of music for us, but for this person. We hadn't actually met at this time; we were just demo-ing. But we'd all sort of seen him on TV and stuff like that. RAD: And then, did you all play the instrumentation on it? A: Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, most of the original instrumentation, like the guitars and stuff, were actually the ones we used in the demo and such, but we used a lot of the originals and stuff on it. It's got a lot of real brass, and it's just all sequence and stuff. But a lot of live brass. RAD: So what other artists or musicians would you like to do songs with, or work with? A: I'd actually like to work with Flood again. We worked with him on "Birdwood Cage," but I think he's had a lot more experience than when he worked on that. And I'd actually like to sort of work with him again, cause I think he's made -- the last couple of albums he's made -- are really interesting. M: You know, he did the P.J. Harvey. A: Yeah. M: Don't you think there's sort of similarities with some of ours, like "Birdwood Cage?" A: I've only heard the single, you see. M: I really think there's some similarities. A: And he has a certain sound to what he makes. But, yeah, I'd like to work with him again. M: (to Andrew) We're talking about Barry Adamson, aren't we? A: Yeah, Barry Adamson. I actually like, and I keep coming back to it, but the guy who produces Luna, I think, Dutch or something. M: (to RAD) You mean producers, or just in general? RAD: Generally. What if Michael Jackson called you up and said, I wanna do a remake of one of your songs ? M: Fuck him. Go to... (laughter from all) ... Kansas! (more laughter) ... No, um, I don't know... It wouldn't matter. It wouldn't mean too much to me, to be perfectly honest. If it was someone like Bob Dylan, maybe; well, no, no -- Lou Reed. That'd be a bit better; that would mean a lot to me. There are quite a few people -- I can't think of them all, actually. A: It doesn't have to be just musicians. I like people who are creative, really. RAD: So who are some of your favorite creative people? A: Cindy Sherman, I like her -- a photographer. She seems really interesting. I like David Byrne, I'd like to work with him. I don't know on what, but just, you know, just his whole attitude, his approach to music, and his visions and stuff like that. He would be good to work with. M: Artists... mainly, there's people like Harold Hodgkins -- an English abstract painter. Hodgkins, I've heard mentioned, did a fantastic video. Um... A: Vivian Westwood. M: Yes, she's great! A: She's a big designer, a clothes designer. She's done all the, sort of original punk stuff, you know, like the destroyed t-shirts. M: She basically designed all the Sex Pistols stuff. Her head is really good. She's nuts, but she's fucking -- she's good. =================================================================== STOP THE PRESSES!!! Ajax, whose bio, interview, and music can be found at RAD Interactive, is being released on BMG/Zoo June 1 If you miss Knapsack during June, they will be back on the touring trail in August =================================================================== RAD Interactive can be found on the World Wide Web at http://intele.net/~rad ================================================ ==Rational Alternative Digital Cyberzine = RAD== ================================================ ===USE "finger rad@intele.net" for more info === ================================================